The FWA is pleased to share that Carolyn Maloney will be honored with the 2026 Lifetime Public Service award at the FWA's 70th Anniversary Gala on October 8, 2026.
We look forward to introducing additional honorees in the weeks ahead.
Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) was elected to Congress in 1992, “Year of the Woman.” She was the first woman to represent her Congressional district and City Council district, and the first woman to chair the Government Reform and Oversight Committee and the Joint Economic Committee. She authored over 80 laws, including the 9-11 Health and Compensation Act, authorizing legislation to create the Smithsonian National Women’s Museum, landmark consumer protections against predatory banking and credit card practices, and the Corporate Transparency Act.
The Federal Historical Society commissioned a portrait of Congresswoman Maloney and held unveilings at the Cannon House Office Building on December 18, 2024, and the New York Athletic Club on June 10, 2025, to celebrate her 30 years of service in the House of Representatives.
Having left Congress in January 2023, Mrs. Maloney currently serves as:
- Eleanor Roosevelt Distinguished Leader-in-Residence at the Roosevelt House Institute for Public Policy, Hunter College (CUNY)
- Founder and President of ERA-Now, a non-profit advocating for recognizing the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment as the 28th Amendment to the US Constitution
- Advisory Board Member of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum
- Founder of Sign4ERA.org
- Founder of DrivingtheVote.org
- Managing Director on the Board of the Metropolitan Opera
- Board Member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York
- Board Member of the Chamber of Commerce for Manhattan
- Board Member of the Conservancy of Gracie Mansion
- Board Member of the National Organization for Women
- Board Member of the United Nations Development Committee
- President of the New York State Chapter of the National Organization for Women
- Former Chair of the ERA Coalition
- Member of the NY Women’s Forum
- Member of the Foreign Policy Institute
The Financial Women's Association celebrated the graduation of 39 students from the 2026 Wall Street Exchange (WSE) Program , closing a milestone year as the program marks 50 years of connecting students with industry leaders. This year's cohort interned at 18 firms and represented 28 colleges. On Tuesday, July 28, FWA President Albana Theka opened the virtual celebration with words of wisdom to the interns on their entry into their first career positions and advice about how to apply their program learnings. She invited them to join the FWA as students, so they can continue to take advantage of FWA’s rich resources and vast network of financial services professionals. Co-Chair Gerri Bostick then introduced Chen Rao, Vice President, Global Markets ALM Treasury at BNP Paribas, the keynote speaker. Chen is a former Wall Street Exchange intern and a former member of the program committee, and she shared the value of these experiences to her career. She also spoke about the characteristics needed to succeed and offered practical advice on how to excel early in one's career. The interns met in breakouts to share their summer experiences along with key WSE program takeaways they plan to carry forward into their careers. They then participated in a fun Wall Street Exchange quiz game where they tested their knowledge from the sessions they attended and earned prizes. The high level of engagement throughout the summer was evident in their ability to answer all the prompts accurately. Wrapping up the celebration, Co-Chair Laura Smith Dunaief announced the graduates followed by special recognition of those who attended all seven sessions. Twenty students will receive free CFA Society student memberships. Throughout the program, the Wall Street Exchange cohort met with industry professionals, asked sharp questions about AI and the future of work, and built relationships that will extend well beyond graduation. They came curious. They're leaving connected. Congratulations, 2026 WSE cohort! We're looking forward to staying connected as you build what's next. The WSE Co-Chairs, Gerri Feemster Bostick and Laura Smith Dunaief, and the WSE Committee extend their sincere appreciation to FWA President Albana Theka, Chen Rao, BNP Paribas, and the CFA Society New York for their support in making the closing session a success. We also thank FWA’s leadership and WSE’s volunteers, sponsoring firms, and participating employers for their continued commitment to providing this valuable experience to the next generation of financial professionals.
The FWA is pleased to share that Virginia Maloney will be honored as the 2026 Public Sector Woman of the Year at the FWA's 70th Anniversary Gala on October 8, 2026. We look forward to introducing additional honorees in the weeks ahead.
We're pleased to announce that the next cohort of the Member2Member program will run from November 2026 through April 2027. Applications are open now, and the deadline to apply is Friday, September 18, 2026 . Please note the Member2Member program is only open to FWA members. Not currently a member? Join or renew today! The FWA Member2Member mentoring program helps advance the FWA mission of accelerating leadership and success of women in the financial community. The program pairs experienced FWA members with those eager to build leadership skills and advance their careers. Our goal is to create meaningful mentor and mentee partnerships where pairs work together to identify strengths, uncover opportunities, and empower the mentee. We also encourage networking and reverse mentoring among members of the cohort. Interested in participating? Learn more here!
Interns participating in the Wall Street Exchange (WSE) Program gathered virtually on July 21 for the program’s sixth session, sponsored and facilitated by MUFG. The session, titled “Owning Your Career,” focused on career ownership, managing workplace stress, mindfulness, and the skills interns will need to succeed in the years ahead. The session opened with introductions from Marguerita Courtney, Group Head and Managing Director of Credit for the Americas; Enid D. Jean-Claude, Deputy General Counsel and Managing Director, Head of Legal for MUFG’s Global Corporate Investment Bank; and Raquel de Azevedo, Assistant General Counsel and Director covering MUFG’s Global Corporate Investment Bank, who each brought powerful personal and professional perspectives to the discussion. Marguerita kicked off the session by framing career mobility as a shared responsibility among interns, leaders, and HR. She emphasized that it starts with the individual, encouraging interns to conduct honest self-assessments, research opportunities thoughtfully, and build and execute an action plan, while leaders and HR provide coaching, resources, and open doors along the way. Interns then broke into small groups to identify a source of workplace stress and discuss strategies for managing it, sharing ideas and learnings with one another before debriefing as a full group. Raquel led a guided mindfulness exercise, drawing on her own practice since 2012 and her training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. MUFG’s mindfulness initiative, now extending to its C-Suite leaders, offered interns resources including the e-book “Integrating Compassion into the Financial Services Industry” and Janice Marturano’s book, “Finding the Space to Lead.” The panel then turned to skills for the future, sharing research which found that analytical thinking remains the most sought-after core skill among employers, followed by resilience, flexibility and agility, and leadership and social influence. AI, big data, networks, cybersecurity, and technology literacy topped the list of fastest-growing skills, while creative thinking and curiosity are expected to keep rising in importance through 2030. Interns broke into a second round of small groups to discuss which skills they believe will matter most in their own careers. To close, the panel left interns with a simple set of tips for the rest of the summer, an easy ABC to remember: Ask thoughtful questions Be present and curious Close out projects – taking action is important At the conclusion of the session, the WSE awarded a CFA Student Annual Membership, sponsored by the CFA Society, to Naina Biswas. Congrats, Naina! A huge thank you to Marguerita Courtney, Enid D. Jean-Claude, Raquel de Azevedo, and the entire MUFG team for investing in the next generation of finance professionals. The WSE Co-Chairs and Committee extend their sincere thanks and appreciation to the President’s Circle Firms, the Partnership Circle Firms, and the Friends of FWA for their unwavering support and generosity to the interns and the Wall Street Exchange Program.
